Eric D. Snider’s Disc Picks of 2008

Eric D. Snider December 30, 2008

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

This is a rare instance of the behind-the-scenes technicalities being almost as noteworthy as the content itself. Joss Whedon, mastermind of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, created this musical comedy starring Neil Patrick Harris as a budding young supervillain-in-training. It’s brief, consisting of three 15-minute episodes that originally premiered (for free) on the internet, but it’s full of Whedon’s trademark wit and satire. The DVD has two commentary tracks: one “normal” and one called Commentary! The Musical, which is completely sung, making it worth shelling out the ten bucks to buy it. Also of note: The DVD is manufactured on demand on DVD-R media. That means it hasn’t been mass-produced, which presumably keeps overhead costs low. It may be the new frontier for quirky, non-mainstream titles that otherwise might not be released on DVD at all.

No Country for Old Men

The benefit of releasing a great film theatrically in December is that not only does it make critics’ top 10 lists for that year, but it gets to show up again the following year after the DVD is released, thus spreading the fame over two calendar years! The Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men was my favorite film of 2007 (the Oscar voters agreed and named it Best Picture), and the DVD gives it the right treatment. The Coens decline to do a commentary, but as taciturn as they tend to be, maybe that’s for the best. Instead, there are short but substantive making-of featurettes that include input from the Coens and the film’s stars. Roger Deakins’ beautiful cinematography comes through loud and clear on the film itself; you really ought to have a big ‘ol TV to fully appreciate it.

WALL-E

My pick for best film of the year is also a terrific DVD — which is exactly what we’ve come to expect from the genius-nerds at Pixar. If you have a Blu-ray player, the 3-disc high-def edition has some extras just for you, but even the 2-disc regular-def version is packed with supplements, commentaries, and bonus featurettes. And let’s not forget the movie itself: Computer-animated films, created entirely in the digital realm, are the most compelling reason for high-definition DVDs. On disc, WALL-E is a breathtaking spectacle, the most gorgeous work of art since … well, since Pixar’s last film, Ratatouille.

The Films of Budd Boetticher

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of this director. You might not even be familiar with the star of these five films, Randolph Scott, whose fame as a western leading man was eclipsed by the likes of John Wayne and Gary Cooper. But in the late 1950s, Boetticher and Scott made a series of westerns that are revered today not just for their entertainment value but for their lack of sentimentality and their sharp morality (without being preachy). Until last month, the best of these films — Ride Lonesome, The Tall T, Comanche Station, Decision at Sundown, and Buchanan Rides Alone — were unavailable. The new DVD set has spared no effort in cleaning up the old films, revitalizing their color, and supplementing them with insightful commentaries and documentaries. It’s a great opportunity to discover some old westerns that you probably haven’t seen before.

Mad Men, Season 1

You’ve probably heard plenty about this absorbing AMC original series, about advertising executives in the early 1960s. If you haven’t watched it (season 2 finished its TV run in October), now’s the time to catch up on DVD. The discs offer multiple commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes, delving into the extraordinarily precise production design and other elements that so vividly recreate the time period. And consider this: AMC doesn’t broadcast in high-definition, which means that even for owners of HDTVs, the DVDs are the only way to appreciate the full-color trip down memory lane that the series offers.